The Orlando Magic have stayed quiet on the coach search this week. With the first round ending, they could find their coach from an eliminated team.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ stunning first-round sweep to the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the NBA Playoffs has the franchise pondering its future once again.
The Trail Blazers, despite having All-Star Damian Lillard and solid running mate C.J. McCollum, had another strong regular season in finishing with the third seed in the Western Conference. But they met Playoff disappointment once again. The team has had a better than .500 record in five of the last six seasons but has just two Playoff series wins.
At a certain point, owners and management expect a team to take a step forward or they begin asking what they are doing. The Blazers seem ripe for change in some form — whether it is the roster or the coach.
Those decisions will come in the coming days. If the Portland Trail Blazers decide to move on from coach Terry Stotts, the Orlando Magic seem ready to pounce in a growing field of potential head coaches.
Marc Stein of The New York Times reports the Magic would register “immediate interest” if the Blazers let Stotts go.
The mumurs have already started In coaching circles that 10 consecutive playoffs defeats will cost Terry Stotts his job in Portland, but league sources say Orlando would register immediate interest in Stotts if he becomes available
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 22, 2018
The first place to start is to recognize that it is no guarantee the Blazers fire Stotts, even after this stunning Playoff defeat.
Portland won 49 games this year and finished fourth in the Western Conference. This was a year where they were not expected to make the Playoffs. If there is one thing Stotts has done in his time as the Blazers’ coach, it is to get the most out of a good but still flawed roster.
He has gone 272-220 in his six years as the Blazers’ head coach. That is a good record, but nothing to write home about. His Playoff record is not better at 11-27.
If the Blazers move on from Stotts, it is likely because of that Playoff performance more than anything else.
His teams have never had a consistent identity. They are great offensively one year, then better defensively the next, then deep, then too reliant on starters. If he has a key to his success, it is his ability to adjust to his roster. He always seems to get the most out of them.
The question is whether he could replicate that with a team like Orlando. The Magic are much further away from winning than the Blazers ever were in his tenure there. There is no apparent Damian Lillard or LaMarcus Aldridge to lead the team to Playoffs.
In Stotts’ first opportunity as a head coach, he went 52-85 with the Atlanta Hawks from 2003-04. He then went 63-83 in two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2006-07. A lot has changed in the league since then. Stotts has become a better coach. But the Hawks’ situation especially is more similar to the Magic’s current struggles.
The question would be, despite all of Stotts’ accomplishments in Portland, whether he could get the most out of Orlando.
The Magic’s coaching search so far has been rather quiet. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond have been in Europe this week scouting prospects overseas — including reportedly potential first overall pick Luka Doncic.
They reportedly have an interview scheduled with Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse. Beyond that nothing else has been reported.
It is hard to say much with Stotts still gainfully employed. The Blazers are not going to make a decision so soon after this Playoff defeat. They still need time to digest and process what happened before making their plans for the future.
Next: 2017-18 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Aaron Gordon
If Stotts does enter the coaching market, he could be one of the more favored names out there for any team looking for a coach to help them take the next step and get into the Playoffs.